USB Network Gate

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Editors' Review

USB Network Gate enforces widespread compatibility for USB devices across a network by intercepting USB port activity and redirecting it back to your host PC via TCP/IP. Any USB device configured for your PC will run on any networked PC, including removable drives, scanners, printers, keyboards, and specialized devices like test instruments.

Pros

Pro: USB Network Gate lets network admins and other IT pros configure devices once and use them on all networked PCs instead of scripting a systemwide fix or, worse, configuring them on each machine, one by one.

Flexible: We could display Devices or All Ports (including free ports) or show only shared devices.

Connection options: The Connect Devices menu can add servers, devices, and remote devices; connect with passwords and RDP Auto-connect; connect always or once; and disconnect all or individual devices.

Cons

Dull interface: USB Network Gate's plain list view groups devices by controller under tabs for local and shared network devices. It's a look only a network pro could love.

Pricey: Although it offers intriguing possibilities, USB Network Gate is a bit pricey for most home networks.

Bottom Line

USB Network Gate has the power to make life easier for network administrators or anyone who needs to access a variety of USB devices on networked PCs. While it's probably overkill for the typical home network, it could save real time (and money) in pro environments.

Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of USB Network Gate 6.2.680.

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Publisher's Description

With USB network Gate you will never experience any issues accessing and using the USB devices that are plugged into remote computers. You can work with those devices as if they were physically connected to your local machine. All that is needed to do for that is install USB Network Gate on the computer with USB device physically attached (server) and on the computer where you want to use this device (client). USB Network Gate will do all the rest. No additional hardware needed.

BTW you can choose whether Linux or Windows machine will be a client or a server. Not only this software allows accessing USB devices over Ethernet, but it's also suitable for servers and workstations virtualization. I.e. it will help you access and use local USB devices in a virtual session. Thanks to USB Network Gate you can easily work with USB devices on guest OS of such virtual environments as VMware ESX, Citrix XenDesktop, Microsoft Hyper-V, Windows Virtual PC. USB Network Gate also allows you to integrate its useful functionality into your own software (OEM licensing).

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